ABSTRACT
The concept of value has been at the core of heritage theory, policy and practice since the 1970s. More recently, in the growing field of critical heritage studies, questions about the processes under which value is produced and reproduced have been raised. Meanwhile, heritage management has prioritised values assigned by different stakeholders to a heritage site. Cultural/heritage policy in turn tends to define “heritage values” in economic terms and develops methods that can measure the economic and cultural value of heritage sites, providing evidence for policymaking. As a result, there are discrepancies in the how heritage values are understood between heritage theorists, practitioners and policymakers with potentially negative consequences for the protection of heritage. This chapter examines where the concept of value is located in heritage theory, policy and practice, across a range of disciplines and sectors, to provide an in-depth understanding of how heritage values are produced by heritage experts, professionals and academics.
